Colony House Restaurant

Since moving out of Chicago, we’ve struggled to find restaurants up to our (snobby foodie) standards. Last night we headed out to celebrate my birthday and ended up at the Colony House. The atmosphere is comfortable and cozy. The crusty fresh bread was delicious. Our mixed drinks were phenomenal. The service was impeccable and our meals were AMAZING! We have finally found our new «go to» for date nights, etc.

Hands down one of mine and my husbands favorite date night places to go. It’s a wonderfully inviting/​cozy restaurant. The staff are delightful. They get very busy though so be sure to call ahead to ensure a table. P. S. The food is OUTSTANDING

Excellent food, drinks, and service. The bartender was extremely tentative and knowledgeable, and our waitress was amazing. Good prices as well, and you can get raw oysters individually for a decent price!

They have a great Friday night fish fry that is very affordable; our favorite in the area. The potato pancakes served as an option with the fish fry are fantastic! The Saturday night prime rib special is well worth stopping for as well. The atmosphere is warm and inviting unless you show up without a reservation.

Amazing! Reminded my uncle and I of our favorite restaurant in Hatfield that burned down years ago and we lost it forever. R.I.P. Palms. Phenomenal service, cozy atmosphere, great bartender. There are some mixed reviews on here, from being too loud, to overpriced, to poor service. All bull… it’s a large open floored supper club layout with a completely separate dining area downstairs. I don’t know if the separate area was for large groups only. Or whatever. Yeah it was loud in the dining room. But that’s because it was PACKED an absolutely amazing restaurant with a casual to dress/​business casual atmosphere with gourmet cuisine. What do you expect for the customers to whisper? Hilarious, the biased reviews on this restaurant are just haters. The service is great and the prices are below average for this quality food and for this area. Just minutes away from Antioch and tourist central I was expecting HIGH prices, Not the case. We will be back here forever and ever!

Price has been raised to $ 28.95 for the 20oz bone-​in cut prime rib but the full meal value still blows away what you can get in the city. And I don’t mean Milwaukee…
Spinach salad with hot bacon dressing and homemade chicken dumpling soup alone would cost you $ 7 to $ 8 because Rahm has to take his cut.

We went to colony house for the Friday night fish fry .The food was great but the service was terrible .
We where seated in the back room And the waitress that waited on us was terrible. We ask for a second serving and she was not happy about it. The service was just terrible I will never have that waitress again. I wish I knew her name. But all I can say is she work’s on Friday night in the backroom of the restaurant.

I have eaten here several times. All were good except for my last visit August 5^th.
I took my out of town guests here… a table of 8/​birthday celebration.
The waitress seemed a little out of it… which we all commented about.
She kept serving my sister double soup, double salad, double soda. Her excuse was she wrote a «2» next to her order. I don’t know why. Well… maybe after the first screw up she would’ve figured it out? Nope. double everything. We kept laughing at least.
Except for when it came to my meal. I ordered the chicken florentine.(which is usually fabulous… I have been stuck on it the last 3 times i have dined here)…but she said she «forgot to hit the button all the way» (whatever that means) so my dinner was completely forgotten… except for my soup and salad. Don’t know how that works.
I finally received it when everyone else was done eating. Second bite in it was still frozen inside. So… her mistake was followed by the chef’s mistake. They took it off the bill and offered me a dessert. Manager (if there is one) did not address our table. Maybe the waitress didn’t inform that person? My other sister also was given a birthday cupcake, a nice touch!
For now I am turned off though… maybe I will wait until I forget the bad service and try again. Or, I will request my server as there are others that have been exceptional in the past. I would even wait for a table to get quality food AND service. which I am paying for… otherwise I would be eating at home.
Typically…this is a great place to eat offering homemade soups and a variety of meal and dessert choices. Love that they offer spinach salad. Definately a loud dining room though. like other reviewers have mentioned. But it is truly a family place. I love the interior and the waitress uniforms. The fireplace and décor are charming.
Please don’t become a victim of bad service! There are too many dining choices for paying customers to have to deal with that.

I was just here with my wife and two others. The food is excellent and the service is alright. The only bad is that the place is loud for a family restaurant. Even when there was no loud music patrons seem to speak loud and I mean loud. Other than that I had the NY Strip and it was good. My wife and a friend had the Chicken Picatta and the other friend had the Prime Rib. Excellent food.

I love this place. Pretty expensive but food is great. My steak always comes out a perfect medium super juicy. I always get a lobster tail too. So good! Chocolate martini is yummy. lots of seating. Don’t need Reservation during the week. But would suggest it on the weekend

This is my first review on Unilocal,and my first visit to Colony House.
I had heard good things about this place. My wife and I arrived here around 6:00 on a Thursday night. There was a good crowd (probably 80% full). The staff was very friendly. When we mentioned it was our first visit, they were wonderful about offering recommendations.
We liked the basket of breadsticks and crackers which came with a cup of delicious cheese spread. We were pleasantly surprised when they also brought out freshly baked bread.
Today, most restaurants offer you a choice of soup OR salad. The Colony House still offers you soup AND salad. I had a warm spinach salad. Where can you find warm spinach salad anymore?
I had the special, which was possibly the best pork shank I’ve ever had. It came with spaetzle, red cabbage, and homemade sauerkraut. All for only $ 16. How can you beat that price?
My wife had dijon chicken. I didn’t try it, but she said it was very good.
Overall, I’d say this restaurant is a great little treasure. This place has old school charm; the likes of which you don’t see too often. The service was warm and attentive, and the food was excellent.
This was our first visit to Colony House — but not our last.

Had a strip steak 13 jan. Was pretty good with a cup of cheddar soup, crackers cheese dip etc. But the platter of French fries are obviously deep fried in the same oil that the FISH are, the waiter had the audacity to ask if I wanted a doggie bag for the fries. Totally clueless.

It’s shit. This restaurant used to be a gem. Now they can’t get your meal or your wine correct. Sorry to say I have seen this decent over 3 visits. It has been for sale for years but has never showed this decline. Too bad. I used to brag about this hidden gem

This small town restaurant deserves a «big town crowd», and they were very busy when we arrived. The home was well decorated for Christmas with a polite & friendly staff and the food was amazing. If this restaurant is out of the way, it is worth the effort. Treat yourself… Hippie Bob.

I have no idea how this place gets so many great reviews. Went with the GF last night. Happy hour drinks were awesomely priced, the atmosphere and service was good. The thing that matters most though is the food. I had the bone in ribeye, and Jenny had the filet with a shrimp scampi side. None of them were good. I wanted my steak med-​rare, it came out well done. It also was not great quality beef. It was tough. I can say the same for Jenny’s filet. The shrimp had to have been thawed and frozen again as it had that funky iodine soap flavor it gets when that happens. The dining room upstairs was super echoed out and noisy. It did not feel cozy or homely at all and you had to use an elevated tone to talk to others at the table.

Step back in time to old world Wisconsin for a fish fry done right! Yum! Not the big flaky white cod you may be used to, but still pretty darn yummie. See what I did there, «pretty darn», I fit right in, haha!
Good cole slaw, nice potato pancakes, great tartar and butter. Loved it, you should definitely go! Cute floor length dresses worn by the charming women waiting the tables. Service and ambiance both very sweet!

Love this place. Jenny our waitress was a delight. Spot on service. Two steaks three drinks soup salad and oysters and dessert for $ 105 doesn’t get any better than this.
Filet Oscar is awesome! Carrot cake divine.
We will be back!!!

Wow…
Well I am super peeved that I have lived in this area for 8 years and never once stopped at this restaurant! Only a few miles over the border… Unilocal never shows it in its search… Thanks Unilocal… better fix that.
The restaurant, ambiance is great, very cozy and with a lot of charm, great service, and wow the food! The Mahi Mahi special was amazing, the chili was great, even the desserts were just amazing! I will be eating salads for a month from all the food! But wow sooo good! We will be back!
Make reservations for regular hours, it was super crowded! Also what’s with all the pics of the fish fry and cheese spread? This place has so much more to offer than that! Still the cheese spread was really good too :)

FRIED AGAIN
This is an update for the amazing Colony House. If you haven’t read my first review I will give you a taste. The fish fry here is delicious and one of the best in the area. There is a secret happy hour in the bar which is my favorite happy hour anywhere in the World.
When I went to check in for dinner the owner recognized me. She asked if I had written a bad review. I told her no and that I actually wrote a 5 star review. In fact, the Colony House had posted my Unilocal review on there Facebook page giving it high praise. The owner said, «Yeah but there was something you didn’t like!» I said, «I made a few comments about the bartender not smiling!» She said, «That’s it!» She then told me that Gary, the bartender took it to heart. So here comes my update and get ready to smile Gary.
My comments about Gary must have sparked Gary to smile more. He was smiling for the full 90 minutes I was in the bar, during Happy Hour. I even made a comment to my wife about how happy Gary looked.
Gary even smiled as he opened a bottle of tonic and it sprayed all over his blue shirt. I would have been upset but not Gary he just shook his head and smiled. I like the smiley Gary, even though he looked like he was sitting in a Splash Zone at Sea World.
In my earlier review I made a comment that I had hoped that Gary and I would high five or do a chest bump. That did not happen but I feel like it might happen on my next visit. I’m holding on to that dream.
I must tell you that Gary rocked the happy hour. He had 16 drink less customers staring at him. And he made everyone a drink quickly. I was blown away at how calmly he worked. He even knew what the regulars were drinking which sped up the process. That is the sign of a good bartender.
So Gary most of this review is about you. I was so excited to see how happy you were. I like this Gary and so do the regulars. If he wasn’t this good then these customers would not be coming back. Yes I am a fan! Thanks Gary.
I love potato pancakes and the ones here have potential. The only problem is that they can be a little burned. Chris our waitress last night was the best. I asked her for non burned potato pancakes and she hooked us up with the best potato pancakes ever. I mean these things were magical. Thank you Chris you were amazing and I’m requesting you to be our waitress on our next visit.
After checking in last night Susan H (fellow Unilocaler & fan of Colony House) asked if my potato pancakes were burned. She’s experienced it too. I immediately sent her a reply telling her how magical they were.
I wish I could give the Colony House 6 stars. This place is classic and I love everything about it.
The owner is really sweet. She wanted to introduce me to Gary last night but I was afraid he might get mad at me. I wanted to keep Gary smiling and hopefully this review keeps Gary smiling until my next visit. The staff is really good too. Our waitresses are always fantastic.
I really love the patrons. Last night we met some of the sweetest people ever. Andy (my new friend) even took me downstairs to show me his table in front of the fireplace. We even ran into some regulars who remembered us from our last visit here. It is such a sense of community here and I love it. There is nothing like this place anywhere. The closest thing I could think would be a Norman Rockwell painting of Americana.
So thanks Colony House for another great fish fry. This place is one of my favorites and is a hidden gem in Wisconsin. Don’t ever change!

It seems that supper clubs never died here around the Cheddar curtain, and the Colony House is a best-​in-​class option. Tucked away in Trevor Wisconsin, just north of the Illinois border is a Nineteenth Century house in the middle of a sleepy town, reconverted almost 20 years ago into a restaurant.
We arrived around 7:30PM on a Saturday and were shocked by how many people were there. We were told that there would be an hour wait, which under normal circumstances would make me look elsewhere. Since I drove 30 minutes to find this place and I was dubious about any other dinner places closer, we decided to wait. This leads to my first tip: Make a reservation! Since the upstairs bar was crowded and no seats were available, we made our way downstairs to the bar and second dining room. The entire place is decorated with a Early American motif with a working fireplace: tasteful, clean and warm. Our bartender Carrie downstairs was excellent. She made a perfect cocktail and charmed us with conversation and recommendations as we waited.
Service was very professional: she was called only about 25 minutes later when our table was ready upstairs. Overall, service was a star here at the place with frequent visits from our server and table bus person. I was impressed.
As for the food, in addition to steaks, prime rib, fish, poultry and chops, the menu features sections with proteins based on preparation– Oscars, Marsalas, de Jonges, Piccatas and Parmigianas. I love this! I haven’t seen this sort of a selection on a menu since the Seventies. We started with another old school favorite, Rumaki appetizer. Delicious! Based on Carrie’s recommendation, I ordered the Fillet Oscar and my dining mate had the frog legs. Dinners start with crackers and spreadable sharp cheddar cheese. When we finished the cheese, more was offered. Soup and salad are also included, so we opted for a broccoli cheddar soup, which was thick and rich but not starchy. Salads were a delicious spinach salad with a warm, homemade bacon dressing and a caesar complete with anchovies. My partner said his salad was just OK, since the dressing was on the light side. As for the entrees, they were excellent. My fillet Oscar was a generous sized fillet, I estimate 10 ounces with fresh steamed asparagus and lump crab meat on top covered with a lemony bearnaise. The steak was cooked perfectly, but I would have appreciated a bit more char on my fillet. My dining mate commented that the sauteed frog legs were the best he’s ever had. Sides were okay. The double baked potato was a bit starchy, but the wild rice medley was tasty.
We shared a dessert of Key Lime Pie and found it to be very good as well. One other nit was that my charger plate was so old, it was chipped and did not fit with the overall quality of the place.
I will definitely go back to this charming spot. I hear the Friday fish fries are great with a bargain all you can eat cod option for 10.95 after 6 PM. Because of the quality, service and classic menu, this place is great.